Peer Pressure #1
Be the Change
or Be Changed
Leader Prep
In Psalm 1 the Bible contrasts the life of a faithful person with one of someone who is far from God. The psalmist speaks of the joy that comes from
obeying God and not listening to those who would pull us away from the Father. It is important for students to understand the profound and often subtle
influence their friends and acquaintances can have on them, especially in
how they follow Jesus’ teachings. This lesson will help your students discern
whether their friends are building up or tearing down their spiritual lives. Real
friends should help, not hinder, you as you draw closer to God.
The Bible teaches that the more we delight in God’s presence, the more fruitful we are. On the other hand, the more we allow those who ridicule God to
affect our thoughts and attitudes, the more we separate ourselves from our
source of nourishment. We must have contact with unbelievers if we are to
witness to them, but we must not join in or imitate their sinful behavior. If you
want to see hopelessness and desperation, spend time with those who see
no need for God. But if you want God’s happiness, make friends with those
who love God and His Word.
Students tend to talk to their friends or peers when faced with a dilemma.
However, Proverbs 13:20 will remind them that talking to someone wiser—
and perhaps older—is the better thing to do. Friends or peers may not truly
have our best interest in mind.
Remind students that as Christians they are called to be influencers of their
generation. Students can influence others for what’s right, decent, and true or
they can influence others in the ways of the world. The choice is up to them.
According to Walt Mueller, youth culture expert, the nature of peer pressure
has changed.
Mueller says, “Back in the day, peer pressure took the form of a verbal invitation to come and do something that both you and the person inviting you to
do it knew was wrong.
“In today’s world, peer pressure usually takes the form of an unspoken expectation to come and get involved in behavior that the overwhelming majority
of your peers think is normal and right. Today’s peer pressure is much more
intense and difficult to resist.” (www.cpyu.org)
Teaching Aims
Students will develop an
awareness of the influence
they can have on their friends
as well as the influence their
friends can have on them.
Bible Verses
Psalms 1:1-6; Proverbs 13:20
Writer
Gordon Davidson is a consultant in the Discipleship
and Family Ministries Department of the Georgia Baptist
Convention and a member
of Mountain Park First Baptist
Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.
If you quack like a duck . . .
Before the meeting, make paper signs that your students will tape to their backs. On these signs write simple (and
even silly) instructions like, “quack like a duck,” “flap your arms like a bird,” or “drive like a racecar driver.” Have the students get into pairs with these pieces of paper taped to their backs. Then ask each student to influence their partners
to perform the activity that is taped to their backs. Declare whichever pair gets finished first to be the winner.
Ask the students how easy it was to influence their partner to do the activity. Explain to the students that in this lesson
they’ll learn that they need to influence others in a positive way instead of being influenced negatively by others.
Be the influencer
Write this statement on a piece of paper and distribute it to the students. “The things or people who most influence
me are …” They may have seldom or never thought of where influence comes from, so give students time to complete
the phrase. Ask students to share and discuss their sources of influence. Talk about their choices but choose your
words wisely. If you condemn them, you will cause them to tune out the rest of this session.
Ask students to make a list of things they would never give away to anyone. This may take some time so give the students time to think. After a few minutes, ask students to share their lists.
Then say, “Look over your lists. Did you include your freedom and individuality on the list? Why not? Those are things
you give away when you follow “the crowd” or allow the wrong people to influence you. You find yourself performing
in a certain way to please others. At that point, you are really making the decisions about whom you will allow to influence you.”
Ask students to think of the people they would consider as their “best friends.” Ask, “How many of the friends you have
now do you honestly think will be your friends 10 years from now?” Share with your students that even though they
may think they will have the same friends 10 years from now, most likely they will not. However, the consequences of
choices they make now because of their friendships will last, even after the friends are gone.
If you have other adults assisting you in teaching this Bible study, ask them which of their high school friends influenced them the most. Then ask if they are still friends with them today. Also, ask them how being friends with these
people affected the lives they are living today.
Help the students realize that the choices they make on their friendships now will influence how effectively they will
be able to share Christ. Falling victim to negative peer pressure could destroy their witness quickly.
Lost - lasting consequences
Have several adults (including yourself ) bring in old high school yearbooks. Let the students compose themselves after laughing at the clothes, hairstyles, etc. Then talk about students in your class who made good choices and students
who made bad choices. Talk about the different peer groups that were in your school.
Summarize the following for your students.
“The friendships you have now will not last forever. In fact, many will not last past high school. But the choices you
make because of those friendships will produce effects in your life that will go on past graduation. Just as it takes time
for seeds sown to produce a harvest, so, too, the choices you make today will produce results in your future even if you
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Be the Change or Be Changed
don’t see any effect right now. This is just as true for the right choices as it is for wrong choices. One of the most difficult yet important facts you need to embrace is that your present friends probably won’t be around when that harvest
comes to your life, even though you were together when the choices were made. The consequences of your choices
will outlast your friendships.”
Close in prayer asking God to help the students effectively influence their world this week.
Provided by the Mission Education Team of the North American Mission Board.
© Copyright 2009, North American Mission Board, SBC. All rights reserved. Southern Baptist churches have permission to photocopy lesson for church use only. Please send all inquiries to NAMB Mission Education
Content Development, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022 or e-mail [email protected]. Not intended for sale.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
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Be the Change or Be Changed
Peer Pressure #2
Who’s in Charge?
Leader Prep
Peer influence (pressure) is nothing new. In Numbers 13 we read where Joshua and Caleb experienced very real peer pressure. The numbers were stacked
against them. It was their belief against the belief of 10 others.
While the Matthew 4 passage doesn’t deal with “peer” pressure, it shows how
Jesus responded to pressure and temptation. Our students can learn a great
deal from Jesus’ responses to this temptation.
Being friends with non-Christians is essential for students to have opportunities to share their faith. However, if a Christian is not a strong and mature
believer, the amount of time spent with an unbeliever can be detrimental to
his or her spiritual growth. Help your students understand this principle.
Temptation affects every person. Many times Satan will use friends or
acquaintances to attack us. Help students recognize that temptation is not a
sin; giving in to temptation is a sin. Use this lesson to show your students that
they do not have to give in to peer pressure. They can resist. God will always
provide a way out of temptation and pressure. In the Scripture passage from
Matthew we see how Jesus demonstrated this. Assist youth in understanding
that we can confidently call on Jesus’ help because he has faced temptation too.
Teaching Aims
Students will understand that
who they choose for friends
is critical. Friends can help
keep them out of trouble as
well as pull them into it. With
God’s help, students can resist
temptations that come from
peers.
Bible Verses
Numbers 13:30-33; Matthew
4:1-11; 1 Corinthians 10:13
Writer
Gordon Davidson is a consultant in the Discipleship
and Family Ministries Department of the Georgia Baptist
Convention and a member
of Mountain Park First Baptist
Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Don’t Pull me down!
Distribute sheets of paper and pencils to your students. Ask them to write the initials of their five best friends and to
think about the kind of friends these people are. Are they strong Christians? Non-Christian? Luke warm? Sitting on
the fence? Realizing this is an over-simplification, instruct the students to write beside each initial “G” for good or “B”
for bad. Encourage students to consider the amount of time they spend daily or weekly with the friends they marked
with a “B.” While it is important for students to have friends who are not believers, the amount of time they spend with
them may determine the impact one has on the other.
To illustrate, ask for two volunteers, approximately the same size. Instruct one to stand in his or her chair. This person
represents a Christian. Instruct the other youth to go to the person standing in the chair and grasp his or her hand as if
they were shaking hands. The person on the floor represents a non-Christian. Instruct the youth standing in the chair
to carefully try pulling the person on the floor up to his level on the chair. Of course, he will be unable to do so. Now
instruct the person standing on the floor to carefully and gently pull the person down from the chair. Naturally, he will
be able to pull him down. Convey to your students how this could represent our relationships with non-Christians.
While we need to be friends with non-Christians, we do not need to spend more time with them than we do with our
Christian friends because of the fact they can pull us down more than we can pull them up. The amount of time we
spend with non-Christians does make a difference.
Memorizing the Word
Ask students to think of ways they are tempted or pressured by other friends or peers. List these on a whiteboard or on
paper. (To help “prime the pump,” it would be helpful for you to have a list of typical teenage temptations/pressures in
case students are slow to respond.) After an appropriate amount of time, lead students to prioritize the situations from
hardest to refuse to easiest to refuse. Based on the amount of time you have allotted for this Bible study, work with
students to discover ways to stand up or refuse to take part in each of the top three situations listed on the board.
Say, “Temptations, whether they come from friends or ourselves, are something that we all deal with and will continue
to deal with as long as we live. Sometimes we give in to peer pressure because we don’t believe there is a way out. But
as we see in Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus showed us a way out.” Read this passage and discuss with your students how Jesus
refuted Satan’s claims. Talk with your students about the importance and usefulness of memorizing and meditating on
Scripture. This spiritual discipline is, unfortunately, not discussed in many youth ministries.
Reminder cards
Divide students into two groups. Say to one group, “Based on the top three pressures we identified earlier, locate appropriate and applicable Scriptures to memorize this week.”
Give the second group the following instructions: “Write a top 10 list of ways to deal with pressures we face from our
friends.” (Example: Recognize my weak spots, don’t give anyone control over me, stay away from tempting situations,
refuse to go to certain places with certain people, ask Jesus what I should do, ask my parents to be the “bad guys” by
saying no, etc.)
After an appropriate amount of time, bring the two groups together and allow each to share. Provide 3 x 5 cards for
students to write any Scripture that would help them this week, as well as any of the top 10 lists they created.
Commit to one another in the coming week to pull out the 3 x 5 card and ask God to give them strength to withstand
the temptation whenever peer pressure gets tough.
Provided by the Mission Education Team of the North American Mission Board.
© Copyright 2009, North American Mission Board, SBC. All rights reserved. Southern Baptist churches have permission to photocopy lesson for church use only. Please send all inquiries to NAMB Mission Education
Content Development, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022 or e-mail [email protected]. Not intended for sale.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
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Who’s in Charge?
Peer Pressure #3
Can Peer Pressure
Be Good?
Leader Prep
Peer pressure isn’t always bad. Positive peer pressure comes when we spend
time with strong Christian friends. We benefit when we’re around Christian
friends, and we suffer when we spend an inordinate amount of time with
those who have a negative effect on our walk with Christ.
While we are not specifically told in Scripture that they explicitly provided
support and strength for one another, it is not hard to imagine that Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego provided positive peer pressure for each
other. Throughout the book of Daniel we read of their spiritual strength as
they consistently did what was right and just.
Jonathan and David are another example of two friends who helped each
other even at great risk of their own lives. Their example still speaks volumes
today.
As you seek to help the youth you lead take part in God’s mission in the
world, encourage them to build relationships with other Christians. These
friendships will undoubtedly make them stronger Christians and more effective witnesses for Him.
Teaching Aims
This lesson will lead your
students to understand that
having a positive peer atmosphere can be an important
factor in their spiritual growth
and development.
Bible Verses
1 Samuel 20:16-17; Proverbs
27:17; John 1:40-42; Daniel
3:16-18
Writer
Gordon Davidson is a consultant in the Discipleship
and Family Ministries Department of the Georgia Baptist
Convention and a member
of Mountain Park First Baptist
Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Introduction Activity
Introduce this study by saying, “Peer pressure … Most of the time those two words have a negative connotation, but
tonight (or today) we are going to look at positive peer pressure. Because we are all Christians, we can provide positive
peer pressure for each other by encouraging one another to use God’s power and not rely on ourselves.”
Call on a student to read John 1:40-42. Say, “Who introduced Peter to Jesus?” (Andrew, his brother) Who introduced
you to Jesus? Allow time for several to share.
Say, “What are some ways we can encourage each other to depend on God’s strength?” Write these on a whiteboard or
paper. Ask, “Are these easy or hard to do? Why?”
Identify some encouraging actions your group will focus on in the coming week.
Bring the Lesson Home
Call on a student to read aloud 1 Samuel 20:16-17. State, “These three teenage (probably) boys stood firm and stood
together even in the face of death. Even though they were three different individuals, they stood together as one.
More than likely they knew and experienced the truths spoken of in Proverbs 27:17.” Ask a student to read that passage. Ask, “What does it mean ‘iron sharpens iron’?”
As an illustration, bring a couple of knives and some heavy duty work gloves. Make sure some of the knives are sharp
and some are dull. Also, have on hand some wood, plastic, cloth and other objects to use with the knives. Call on several students to take a knife, put on the gloves (for safety and protection), and attempt to cut the various objects.
After a few have tried, talk about the difference between the dull knife and the sharp knife. What makes the difference? Silk doesn’t sharpen iron. Chocolate pudding doesn’t sharpen iron. It takes something with the same characteristics to rub off the dull parts to make us sharp.
Ask the following questions, allowing time for students to think before responding. “Who sharpens you? Who do you sharpen? How does this sharpening take place? When does it take place? Do you ever get to the point you are sharp enough?
Application Activity
It is important that we each care for one another and to be on the lookout for snares, traps, and blind spots that might cause
us to stumble. To illustrate, the following activity will help your students understand the need to “be there” for each other.
Give each person an egg. Instruct the youth to very carefully punch a small hole in each end of the egg with a pin.
Then direct them to blow on one end of the egg. Hopefully, the yolk and the egg whites will be forced out the other
end, leaving an empty, unbroken eggshell. If you like, you can seal up the holes with a small amount of candle wax.
Then discuss the delicate nature of eggshells. Relate this to the fragile nature of friendships and how we can help a
weaker Christian brother or sister.
To add to this illustration, encourage students to swap eggs with another person and for the next day or so, take care
of their friend’s egg. (adapted from Youth Ministry Sourcebook, compiled by Michelle Hicks and James Jackson, Convention Press, 1997.)
Close this session by asking students to pair up with someone and pray for God to strengthen and sharpen them in
the coming week. Encourage students to call, text, or e-mail words of encouragement and affirmation in the coming
week to their prayer partner.
Provided by the Mission Education Team of the North American Mission Board.
© Copyright 2009, North American Mission Board, SBC. All rights reserved. Southern Baptist churches have permission to photocopy lesson for church use only. Please send all inquiries to NAMB Mission Education
Content Development, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022 or e-mail [email protected]. Not intended for sale.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
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Can Peer Pressure Be Good?
Peer Pressure #4
Friends: Stumbling Blocks
or Stepping Stones
Leader Prep
While the Bible doesn’t mention a situation or a story where a person’s
friends were a roadblock to missional living, we know that indeed can take
place. Friends may not understand a student’s desire to serve God. We would
certainly hope that friends, and others, would be supportive. Yet when that
support is not there, the pressure to conform to their wishes and desires is
great. This lesson focuses on Scriptures that teach us to be different. The word
used, in Romans 12:2, is “transformed” rather than conform to others. As you
prepare to teach, marinate and meditate on these Scripture passages. Think
of the various applications for each one.
We must not give in to peer pressure, whatever the situation. Standing up for
what we believe and what the Bible teaches will please God. Throughout history, those who have been unafraid to stand on unpopular beliefs have been
the ones to change the world and make things happen. There is so much in
this world that we need to change, and so many people who need to be told
about Christ. Letting other people decide what we do and how we behave is
exactly what Satan hopes we will do.
Teaching Aims
Students will understand that
some friends may not understand or agree with their
desire to serve God but it is
still the right thing to do
Bible Verses
Psalms 1:1-2; Romans 12:2; 1
Peter 1:13-16; 1 Peter 2:11; 1
John 2:15-17
Writer
Gordon Davidson is a consultant in the Discipleship
and Family Ministries Department of the Georgia Baptist
Convention and a member
of Mountain Park First Baptist
Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Bible Verse Match
Print the Scripture passages on poster board, but scramble the wording. Instruct students to look up each passage and
to rewrite them correctly. After they have done so, call on students to read each passage aloud.
Say, “Today’s study looks at the importance of following God no matter who, what, or where the opposition comes
from. Being obedient to God is always the right thing to do.”
Will You Go?
State to your students, “You feel God calling you to serve Him this summer in Kenya.” Print the correct wording of each
Scripture passage on separate pieces of paper and post on the walls around the room. Instruct students to pair up and
to write several statements on the Scripture passage poster that friends might say for you going to Kenya and against
you going to Kenya. Allow several minutes for the students to talk over the various statements that might be made.
Then ask for volunteers to share their statements. Talk about how each passage relates to the statements shared by
the students.
Make the following points (and other points you find) We’ about the relationship between the passages and the statements:
• Psalm 1: 1-2 – We’re happier when we rely on God’s instructions rather than the advice of “the wicked.”
• Romans 12:2 – We can’t think differently from the world when we’re letting ungodly friends influence our decisions.
• 1 Peter 1:13-16 – When we let our ungodly friends influence our decisions, we’re becoming conformed
to the world.
• 1 John 2:15-17 – When friends who don’t know Christ influence us, we’re showing we love them more than our
Lord. Instead focus your eyes and heart on your relationship with Him, which will never pass away.
Say, “What do we do when our friends don’t understand our commitment to Christ?” Help students to see that even
though we may face opposition from our friends, God will always bless and use our obedience. Tremendous growth
takes place during times we depend solely on God.
Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone?
If possible bring to this session a flat paver stone used on stone walkways and a large rock. Point to the two objects
and say, “Sometimes we have people in our lives who are stumbling blocks (point to or pick up large rock), and we
have others who are stepping stones (point to or pick up paver stone). A stepping-stone represents someone who is
helpful, someone who strengthens you, supports you, and encourages you. On the other hand, a stumbling block is a
rock that causes people to trip. These are the people in your life that hinder you from doing what God wants you to do.
They also can hinder your relationship to Christ and can inhibit God’s will being made plain to you.
Provided by the Mission Education Team of the North American Mission Board.
© Copyright 2009, North American Mission Board, SBC. All rights reserved. Southern Baptist churches have permission to photocopy lesson for church use only. Please send all inquiries to NAMB Mission Education
Content Development, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022 or e-mail [email protected]. Not intended for sale.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
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Friends: Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones